This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
A mix of hiking, swimming, climbing and caving, canyoning is attracting more and more fans in Quebec. Two guides tell us about the possibilities offered by the activity.
It took a while for it to make its mark in Quebec, but Jean-Benoît Dumont, director of Canyoning-Québec, a pioneering company in the sport in the province, has noticed a growing interest in canyoning over the past ten years. “Several new companies have contacted us for our expertise in canyon equipment and route planning. We were the only ones in 2000, but today, there are five or six companies offering tours in different regions of Quebec.”
“It’s a bit like an aquatic hike along a river with obstacle courses, including jumps and rope abseiling,” describes the man who has also been a guide for 15 years.
From the Alps to Quebec
Canyoning comes to us from Europe, more precisely from the French and Swiss Alps, says the director of Canyoning-Québec. In fact, it was while returning from Europe that Marc Tremblay, founder of the company, had the idea of offering canyoning in the province. It was the speleologists who, while trying to practice their techniques and rope rappels outside of caves where it is dark, began to explore sites similar to what can be discovered in caves, but in daylight, summarizes Jean-Benoît Dumont.
The height of the mountains and the number of canyons found there explain, according to Jean-Benoît Dumont, the fact that the sport is very developed in Europe. “Quebec has much smaller mountains: we may not be THE international canyoning destination, but there are still great possibilities,” he says.
So, in the province, it is where there are higher massifs or canyons that we have the chance to be able to indulge in the activity. “It requires a particular topography,” explains Jean-Benoît Dumont, whose company offers experiences in the areas around Quebec and Charlevoix.
More recently, a proposal closer to Montreal, in Lanaudière, has also appeared. Rosalie Larouche, guide and owner of Canyon Aventure in Saint-Côme, discovered canyoning through her practice of caving. She was also a guide for this activity in Charlevoix for a few years before wanting to return to her region. “I still wanted to continue to do this activity and I also wanted to make it known. It didn’t exist in Lanaudière, but I had heard that there would be a possibility of doing it at the Chute-à-Bull regional park in Saint-Côme.” So she went to see the place, before reaching an agreement with the site, and set up her anchors. For the past three years, she has been offering an introductory itinerary of about three hours, which she leads herself. This course is accessible to those aged 14 and over who are “in acceptable physical shape and who are not too afraid of water or heights”.
“There are a wide variety of trails offered in Quebec,” says Jean-Benoît Dumont, whose company offers outings for beginners as well as for experts. “Some require harnesses, others don’t. Sometimes you need to jump, walk, climb: each experience is different, and that’s why you have to take the time to choose your trail carefully before booking.”
In Quebec, canyoning organizations provide helmets, harnesses, neoprene suits and all other necessary equipment, which simplifies the first contact with the activity.
For the future of canyoning
“It’s still relatively unknown in Quebec, but it’s growing. With the company, we have larger-scale projects,” says Jean-Benoît Dumont, who hopes to see canyoning become more popular. “It’s an original water sport that offers different levels and lets you admire Quebec’s nature from a different angle,” adds the guide, who gets great satisfaction from watching people discover the activity and push their limits. “I’d like it to be better known to the general public and more showcased. We often talk about climbing, but canyoning is another way to approach the environment and practice different techniques,” he notes.
The same goes for Rosalie Larouche, who dreams of offering options in other sectors. “It’s been six years since I discovered canyoning, which I fell in love with. I already liked caving, but living the experience in the light of day is even more beautiful than being underground. We are in the middle of nature, on paths that few hikers have trod. Everyone who tries it loves the activity and comes away proud!”
A sport that is taking shape
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